


Avatar: The New Interface

by RaevynNocturne



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29294814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaevynNocturne/pseuds/RaevynNocturne
Summary: Prompt: The holographic interface isn't working like usual, so you suggest building an android body to download part of the TARDIS in, to make interfacing easier. What could possibly go wrong?
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [Y/N] = Your Name

You enter the TARDIS, and the first thing you hear is an angry Scottish voice, shouting at something, followed by the sounds of hammering. You carefully make your way to the console, and see large, black boots sticking out from underneath, which makes you smirk; he's almost always working on the console, at least twice a week.

"Prooooo", a very familiar voice tries to say, but it's glitchy; you look up to see the holographic interface wearing your face, and using your voice.

"She's been doing this for the last two days," the Doctor says, his Scottish brogue so heavy you know he's in a bad mood. Without even thinking, you grab a flathead screwdriver, the most ordinary thing you've seen him use, and wait with it in hand, reaching towards him.

"[Y/N], can you hand me...? Oh. Yes, that," he says, and you smirk at the confusion in his voice; he's still not use to you being almost in tune with him to the point you can sometimes anticipate what he needs.

"Why not just build her an avatar? A body, biosynthetic?" you ask casually, sitting down in a jump seat nearby. He stops moving, rolling out the dolly he uses when working under the console, to stare at you; you can't be sure, but it's a cross between confusion, and awestruck.

"Why?" he asks, dumbfounded.

"Easier to repair, you can create a personality to download into it, and link to her. And it tends to be easier to interact with. It's essentially an AI body people an interact with, that's all," you reply, and have the satisfaction of watching his face light up with the "ah ha" moment.

"Ok, I'll give you points for the idea, but do you have any idea how difficult that is?" he admits, almost grudgingly.

"About as difficult as building a TARDIS from scratch?" you reply, smiling innocently. The TARDIS herself beeps in amusement, and even the Doctor smiles.

"Well no, not THAT difficult, but it's not easy. But, there is some merit to the idea. I'll have to think about it. But for now, can you..." he says, only to be interrupted by you handing him the sonic spanner. He raises an eyebrow, and smirks sarcastically at you, which you respond with your usual broad grin. He rolls back under the console, leaving you to watch the hologram glitch on the visual aspect.

"This is going to be a while. Would you make me some tea, please?" he asks a little distractedly.

"Sure. Cookies?" you ask, and chuckle when he snorts. His only response is to wave the spanner at you, then disappear under the console.

You head to the kitchen, and start the tea, grabbing a package of chocolate chip cookies, and a tray. Sitting on a kitchen stool, you wait patiently for the tea to finish, imagining what form he might use for the avatar, and whether he'll name it or not. You smile fondly as you imagine his face as he designs the exterior form, almost a child in a candy shop; it's not even mean, or demeaning, it's because he would enjoy that aspect of creation. You load up the tray with kettle, cups, spoons, sugar cubes, and cookies, and return to the control room. He rolls out from under the console, and you help him up with one hand, carefully balancing the tray in the other; he perks an eyebrow up at that, grinning almost mischievously, and you just smile.

"Thank you, [Y/N], I needed a break anyways. Ok, what's THAT grin for?" he asks as you both head to the upper walkway, carefully sitting in the armchairs; you blush slightly, wishing he hadn't seen the amused grin gracing your face.

"It's nothing, just letting my mind wander," you reply, perhaps a little too quickly. He merely raises his eyebrow again, but says nothing, grinning knowingly, and takes a sip of his tea.

You both enjoy the quiet break, enjoying the company without needing to break the quiet. Well, as quiet as the TARDIS can be, beyond the many mechanical sounds she makes as part of normal function.

"Do you really think I should do it?" he asks suddenly, breaking the silence. You glance over at him, but he's staring at the console, and looks like he's thinking hard.

"Well, I think it would make things easier, but I know it's not an easy thing, even for someone as ridiculously brilliant as you," you can't resist saying, and giggle when he smirks, and quickly adopts a "well of course" pose, simply for your pleasure. He grins broadly, and winks conspiratorially at you.

"Yes, yes, it's nice to know someone finally notices ny superior intelligence," he jokes, making you throw a cookie at him. He catches it, and his eyes twinkle merrily.

"Ooo, just what I needed," he says, biting into it with relish, making you roll your eyes, and laugh. He's not always this jovial, especially as frustrated as he was when you first arrived, so you are quick to take advantage of the opportunity to joke around with him.

"If you do, may I help with exterior design?" you ask hopefully, which makes him glance at you, a little surprised at the question.

"I suppose so. Sure," he says after a moment deliberation.

"But nothing too awful, it needs to be something everyone can interact with," he chides, wagging a long pointer finger at you, to which you smirk.

"No, this isn't "Weird Science", I'm not going to give her G sized attributes," you joke, and laugh when his eyes widen at the image; his face is a play of equal parts fascination, and horror.

"Do that, and I'll ban you from the TARDIS," he finally remarks, and shudders.

-What do you mean by G sized attributes- the TARDIS asks you, causing you to laugh so hard you start tearing up; the Doctor simply groans and covers his face with one hand.

"It means extra large breasts, milady," you wheeze out between laughs, and notice the Doctor is trying so hard not to laugh, but has also started blushing slightly. Aww, look, he's embarrassed by the fact that he was even briefly intrigued at the idea, you think silently to yourself.

It takes a few minutes for you both to calm down, and you grin broadly at each other.

"Just for that, I'm going to do it! It'll take some time, though. I'll have to work on the body first, then I can build the program to put into the brain. I may actually need to create a program to help make the external aspects, including skin, eyes, etc," he says, face neutral as he thinks hard about what all needed to be done, and what should be done first.

"I know I'm not a robotics engineer, or anything like that, but I'll help as much as I can," you offer, with a small grin. 

"Thank you. I don't think you can help with the internal stuff, but I'll need your help with the external design," he says, smiling brightly at you.

"Might I suggest we eat a good, hearty meal first? And perhaps wait until tomorrow to start, so we can both get a good night's sleep, and maybe a hearty breakfast?" you ask.

"I don't need sleep, but it's a good idea. Maybe I will sleep tonight, to be sure. And a hearty dinner will definitely be good. Maybe we could order Chinese?" he asked brightly, making you laugh.

"You and your Chinese food! And your crisps..." you say, chuckling, pulling out your phone to order the food. 

20 minutes later, and you both were chowing down, and watching the Matrix trilogy, just because you could. You knew tomorrow would be rough, so you chose to enjoy the companionship, and the joking, and the good sleep at the end.


	2. Phase One and Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is a little short, but the "reader" character can't do much. I just hope you enjoy it regardless!

Beginning what the Doctor referred to as "Phase One" turned out to be harder than expected. The first problem was what to actually tackle first: setting up the program, or build the body? It's not like you could actually really do anything either way, so it was mostly helping him decide which to start. Eventually, you both decided for him to start working on the body, while you.... Went back to your other life, feeling a little like a spy, leading a double life. You research robotics, cybernetics, stuff like that, but it doesn't make any sense. You visit him from time to time, bringing food and drinks, and sometimes forcing him to take a break and get some sleep. You clean up around the TARDIS while he sleeps, and make sure he's got hot tea ready when he gets up. Otherwise, you stay out of the way. You miss the adventures, you even miss him, you realize one day. You never knew how boring your life really was until you had to return to it full time.  
_________________________________________________

Two months go by before the Doctor exclaims excitedly that Phase One is complete, including the program you'll use to design her exterior looks. You both have a giddy sort of excitement, because this is all new to you both: building and designing an android for the TARDIS. You have several pictures of women to use, but because the Doctor really doesn't care, he leaves it up to you, and the TARDIS, obviously. 

It takes another month to set up the virtual design, during which you make use of the hologram, which the Doctor has finally fixed. The TARDIS herself is even enjoying the work, saying once she feels like a model with all the various designs you've worked with; you blush when she says that, because some of the designs were, well, sensitive.

While you are busy working on the exterior look, the Doctor had started working on the integration software for the AI aspect. You can tell it's hard work, and you sometimes feel bad there's not much you can do to help, although the Doctor often waves off your worries, saying that you're helping a lot with the external aspects. You do cook meals, and even bought a Keurig to keep in the control to make tea and coffee, which makes the Doctor smile, although he grumped about for the first day. 

The other aspect that the Doctor left in your hands is clothing the body, once he adds the synthetic skin to the body, and all the receptors involved. You watched that part of it, fascinated by the process; the Doctor explained it all to you, although you didn't understand it. You spend a few days getting the body ready, and the TARDIS helped with clothing she liked best, although you did have to convince her not to go with as of the choices as they weren't appropriate; trying to explain why usually left you blushing a shade of red that matches the Doctor's red velvet coat. And when you explained why you were blushing to the Doctor, you were at least relieved that he understood, even if he did laugh at your expense; it was ok, he earned it 

The last thing to do was the voice matrix, something you couldn't understand how it worked, but watched the Doctor program it through the AI program. It was incredibly amazing to watch, and you both giggled at some of the initial mishaps, but finally everything was ready. You insisted on a celebration dinner, which the Doctor agreed to, surprisingly. Although simple, you made a good meal, even made some pie for dessert, which the Doctor enjoyed so much, he almost ate the whole thing by himself. Seeing the look of amazement and pleasure on his face as he ate the first piece made you incredibly happy; this whole project had been difficult, so he hardly smiled, or joked around, so you enjoyed the little moments when you could make him smile.


	3. The Final Phase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll add a picture of the person I'm using as the basis for the Avatar, once I figure out how to...

Now that the body was complete, all that was left was downloading the AI program, which the Doctor told you would take about 48 hours total. Life went on for you as usual, but you could tell he was bored, and even a little lonely. He couldn't go anywhere, not until the avatar was online; he needed the TARDIS to keep on eye on the transfer, and she couldn't do that if they went anywhere, or so he explained to you. You offered to take him to see a movie, but he declined, saying he needed to be nearby in case anything happens. So you bring over a couple movies, and you both enjoy a night of junk food and movies.  
_________________________________________________

Slowly, one eye opens, then the other, long lashes fluttering against pale skin, then vibrant, cobalt blue eyes look around.

"It might take a minute for your eyes to focus, my dear. Try sitting up, please," the Doctor says, and you help her sit up slowly. She looks down at her hands, clearly trying to understand what she's experiencing; you smile broadly, sneaking a glance at the Doctor, who's grinning just as broadly. She ran her hands over the sleeveless red shirt she wore, then the blue jeans, and finally the black boots, as though not sure what to make of her clothes.

For the next 30 minutes, the Doctor runs her through diagnostics, both internal and external, testing her senses and responses. Unless directed to do something, you stay out of the way, preferring to watch, grinning like an idiot; although you didn't do much, you still feel proud of the end results. Her voice is sweet, a little lower on the vocal register than some of your friends, but it's not unusual. 

"Um, Doctor... It just occurred to me, we never actually named her," you finally pipe up, once the tests are over. Both of them turn to stare at you, and you can't help but smirk at the dumbfounded look on his face; she just looks neutral, it'll take time for her to learn the range of motion on her face and facial expressions.

"You're right, [Y/N]! What would you recommend?" he asks you, not realizing the person he should be asking is standing next to him.

"I don't know. Madam TARDIS, what would YOU like to be called?" you ask her, smiling gently, ignoring the guilty look on the Doctor's face.

"I.... Don't know. I trust you to pick me something nice," she replied, and smile in return. 

"I thank you for your trust, My Lady. Hmm, let's see..... How about Sarah?" you ask, and smirk at his frown.

"No, please, I knew a Sarah, and... It would be a little strange for me," he says softly, his eyes filled with pain.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, I didn't know," you say quietly, feeling bad for saying anything.

"It's alright, [Y/N] , you didn't know. It's not a bad memory, I just don't know if she's alive anymore, and that's what makes it difficult," he replies, smiling weakly at you, which you return.

"I understand. Well, let's see... Ooo, I've got it: Cassiopeia, maybe Cassie for short," you say excitedly.

"Oh, I like that!" he says, smiling broadly now, and you both turn to look at her. She cocks her head slightly, looking at you, then smiles big.

"I love it, [Y/N]! Thank you!" she says, and hugs you; surprised, you awkwardly return the hug, while the Doctor chuckles. Cassie then turns and hugs the Doctor, and it's your turn to chuckle at his expression. 

"I think this is the start of a long friendship, for all of us," you say, smiling broadly. 

"Agreed," the Doctor replied, smiling down at Cassie, who hasn't left his side; she still had one arm around his waist, and he an arm around her shoulders. 

"I hope so," she replies, smiling up at both of you. You take a picture of the two of them together, then convince the Doctor to let you set up for a selfie, promising to send him copies.

You finally return home after a couple hours, and crawl into your own bed. You're happy the project is complete, but you can't help but wonder why you feel like things are about to get complicated.


	4. The After Effects

A month goes by before you hear from the Doctor, but that's ok, you wanted him to spend some time with Cassie. You'd just gotten home from a long day of work, when the familiar wheezing sound of the TARDIS fills your ears, coming from your bedroom. You chuckle softly, thinking he must have missed again; he usually parks outside or in your living room. By the time you get to the hallway, however, you have to jump aside as the Doctor comes running down the hallway, barely realizing you're standing there. He skids to a halt, and pushes you into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. His hair is wild, sticking up all over the place, eyes wide in fear and red rimmed.

"You've got to hide me. She's gone mad," he whispers to you, clutching your shoulders in panic.

"Who, Doctor?" you ask, suddenly very scared.

"Cassie," he says, so softly you almost can't hear him. You force down the smirk and the snicker that threatens to bubble up, because you don't want to hurt your friend anymore than he already is.

"Ok, what happened?" you ask, proud that your tone is sufficiently calm.

"She won't leave me alone. She's always hugging me, holding my hands, has even tried to kiss me," he replies, disgust coloring his voice. It becomes harder to control the smirk, but luckily he didn't see your mouth twitching.

"Ok... So what happened to cause you to come here?" you ask, waiting to hear this.

"Well, as you know, I gave her skin the ability to have the same sense of touch as a human; it would've been too complicated to build her like a Gallifreyan," he says, and you smirk but nod.

"Well, she finally did the unthinkable..." he started, but froze, almost as if he couldn't even bring himself to say it.

"Oh....?" you ask, drawing out the word.

"She asked me to spend the night with her," he says, voice soft yet terrified. You can't help it, you start laughing hysterically.

"Shush, not so loud. And it's not funny, not even remotely. Sure, it's fine for you humans, but I'm a Time Lord, I'm the one that deals with her all the time. You humans jump from partner to partner, so of course you're ok with it," he growls quietly, scowling so much you're half afraid his eyebrows will knit tonight, maybe becoming an attack eyebrow, singular.

"Oh. My. God!" you sputter, laughing even louder now. The Doctor scowls, and tries to get you to quiet down. At this point, you don't even care, this is better than watching the Hallmark channel.

"Doctor, my love, where are you?" Cassie shouts, and finally he covers your mouth, hoping she can't hear you laughing. Footsteps coming down the hallway stop in front of the bathroom, and you hear her try to turn the knob.

"[Y/N] , are you in there?" she asks, sounding a little frantic, and a lot annoyed.

"Um, yes, Cassie, I am. I was about to get in the shower. Can I help you?" you manage to say, calming yourself enough to reply without laughing.

"I'm looking for my beloved, the Doctor. Have you seen him?" she asks, sounding desperate; you bite your knuckle to stop yourself from laughing, earning a punch in the shoulder.

"Fraid not, sorry. Not since we brought you online. I thought I heard the TARDIS land, but I was in the bathroom, and since I was getting ready for my shower, I couldn't just walk out. I left my bath robe in the bedroom,' you say, and grin over at your fri5, who merely rolls his eyes.

"May I look around the rest of your flat, please?" she asks sweetly; you feel your face flush with the effort not to laugh.

"Um, sure. I'll be a while, so if you wouldn't mind bringing me my robe, you can hang it in the doorknob on the outside, ok?" you reply, and turn on the shower; her reply is muffled, and sounds far away now.

"Oh God, what am I going to do?" he asks, putting the toilet seat down, sinking down onto the toilet, head in his hands.

"Well, I mean, how bad would it be to give her what she wants?" you ask innocently, sitting on the counter.

"You have no idea how badly that would end. I never told you this, but I once built an android boyfriend; breaking up with his was bad enough. This one is attached to the TARDIS. Can you imagine trying to break up with her?" he says, eye wide with fear. You can't help but laugh, even after he smacks your knee as a result.

"So when you say 'spend the night', do you mean just a share a bed? Or something else?" you ask, trying hard to look serious.

"Something else..." he growls, and wrings his hands.

"Ok, I get it, you don't want a relationship, but honestly, how bad would it be to be intimate with her? Even just once?" you ask, genuinely curious.

"Oh no, no, no, no! Absolutely not. I refuse to even consider such a thing," he says angrily, glaring at you, and that's when you notice another emotion behind the anger and fear.

"Oh my God..... You've never been intimate before, have you? At least not in that body," you remark, quietly, feeling as awkward as he was. He glares at you, then sighs, and drops his eyes to his hands; your mouth drops, shocked that it was almost so simple.

"Avert your eyes, please," you say instead, and grab the edge of your t-shirt, waiting. He looks at you, head slightly tilted, confused.

"But... Why?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at you.

"Because I'm going to step in the shower, that's why. Give some credence to my story," you reply sardonically, then resume stripping once his eyes are averted. Not that you have an issue being naked, even in front of the Doctor, it was a matter of courtesy and respect. You jump in the shower, wash your hair, and throw some soap on your skin, turn off the water, and grab the towel hanging on the bar, drying off in the shower, behind the curtain. Once you're sry enough, you wrap the towel around yourself, ignoring the raised eyebrow from the Doctor, including the smirk, and carefully grab the robe from the outside of the door. You take the robe back to the shower, pull the curtain quietly, slip on the robe, then hang the towel back up to dry. 

"Stay in here for a few minutes, until she leaves, then I'll come rescue you," you tell him, then carefully exit the bathroom, leaving the door closed behind.

"Why exactly are you using that bathroom, not the one in your bedroom?" Cassie asks, coming up behind you.

"Shower head is broken in my bathroom, and I just haven't gotten around to fixing it," you reply without missing a beat; it's true, you haven't fixed it, and preferred the hallway bathroom anyways.

"That doesn't make sense," she says, following you into the bedroom.

"Eh, we humans are funny that way. Whoa, hey oh, uh uh, you can stay in the hallway until I'm dressed," you say, pushing her into the hallway, and shutting the door partially. I grabbed another t-shirt, jeans, underpants, and socks, getting dressed as fast as possible.

"So, did you find him?" I asked, looking at the TARDIS in the corner; figures he'd park there, not in the living room.

"No, unfortunately. Why'd he come here?" she asked, sounding suspicious.

"Dunno, maybe throw you off, while he went hiding on the TARDIS?" you say, although you know that's a weak reply.

"Well that's just silly, he can't hide from me in there," she retorts, snorting in a rather unladylike manner. You open the door again, and she gives you an appraising look, smiling when she meets your eyes.

"He could've slipped out the front door while I was in the bathroom. He's done that to me before," you remark bitterly, grimacing at the memory; it was funny now, not so much then. 

"Oh yeah, I remember him telling me about that! Eh, you're right. Bugger. Now what?" she asks dejectedly.

"I guess go back inside the TARDIS, wait it out. I'll see if I can find him real quick, yeah?" you ask, a gentle smile on your face.

"Oh [Y/N] , you really are the best, thank you," she exclaims, kissing you on the cheek; her lips are soft and warm, making you wonder all over again what the big deal was.

"All in a day's work, milady," you reply, kissing her hand softly, giving her an award winning smile.

"And if you can't find him, maybe you'd like to spend the night with me," she replies brightly, and skips back into 4he TARDIS, leaving you literally frozen in the spot; now you started to understand the problem. You return to the hallway bathroom, looking around to make sure she wasn't following, and open the door, watching the Doctor growl in the steam.

"Was it necessary to close the door after you left?" he asked irritably, handing you the clothes he'd obviously picked up.

"She's back in the TARDIS, but I told her I'd go looking for you. So come on, let's head out for a bit. Let her cool down, get some food, talk, return in an hour," you say, grabbing wallet and keys. He nods, and follows you out.

You head to a wonderful deli near your flat, and order food, while he finds a table outside on the patio of the deli; you grab some crisps and sodas, and the food, and sit down across from the Doctor.

"So tell me, seriously, what's the actual problem?" you ask as you open your bag of crisps, then take a bite of your sandwich.

"I've already told you what the problem is," he replies waspishly.

"No, you've told me the excuses, now tell me the real reason," you retort, serious now.

"Look, it doesn't matter whether I've been intimate with anyone or not. What matters is that she's the bodily representation of the TARDIS, right?" he asks, then takes a big bite out of his sandwich, almost attacking it as though taking his anger out on the food.

"Well of course, that's why we created it," you reply caustically, munching on crisps.

"So that means that's what I have to deal with, day in and day out. I know she's met her share of companions she didn't like, but with the exception of not working with them to even refusing to allow them in, she couldn't do much about them. But now she's got a body she can use to stop them. And what's to happen if I fall in love with someone else, eh? You already know she's in love with me, and I'll admit I love her too, but that's natural for a Time Lord. I'm honestly regretting giving her emotions, because I'm not sure I can handle that from her. As strange as this may sound, I'm not sure I want to stay attached to her romantically. I've given her hugs, and they just don't feel right. So I honestly don't know what to do," he admits sadly, guiltily.

You don't know what to say, choosing to finish your food instead. He slowly finishes his meal, and you sit idly for a few minutes, staring at nothing, just thinking.

"Hey, let's get some coffee, and take it back to the flat? Maybe grab one for her?" you suggest, and are glad he snorts sarcastically.

"For us, sure, but not for her; she's hyper enough as is!" he explains, following you across the street for coffee.

With coffee and pastries in hand, they return to your flat, and carefully enter; hearing no one else, they proceed into the kitchen.

"Look Doctor, you're going to have to deal with this. Worse care scenario, you may have to disable the body, and shut down the project. So either give her she wants, or come up with some compromise. But I'd also work on a way to remote disable the body, in case she decides to block you from accessing the program," you tell him as you sit on a stool. He mindlessly nibbles on his pastry, drinking his coffee automatically, thinking hard.

"How do I do that, though?" he finally asks, looking up at you, eyes heavy with anxiety and resignation.

"I've got a tablet somewhere... No, wait, not enough space. You'll need to have her create one. Tell her I asked for it, to use for some programs. Wouldn't be the first time I've ran some heavy duty programs on a tablet," you say, munching on your apple pastry.

"Not bad... I'll see what I can do. Although how do we explain why we're downloading the program?" he asks.

"Do you need to, though? Can't you create a backdoor hack, without needing the program?" you ask.

"No, I need the program too, so I can do it right," he replied with a sigh 

"Well.... You could always tell her you're teaching me how to write coding like that," you say, raising an eyebrow.

"That.... That might work," he replies, smiling slowly.

"Well, keys get this over with," you say, deadpan. You both sigh, and head to the TARDIS.

The door opened automatically, and you motion to the Doctor to enter first. But when you try to go through the door, it slams in your face, and locks; no matter how often you try to use the key, it won't open. You knock on the door, but nothing happens. Growling with frustration, you bang on the door, getting more and more annoyed.

"Oh come on, I didn't do anything wrong," you start shouting, then back up fast when the TARDIS starts to disappear, wheezing as it fades away. You stand there for a few seconds, mouth hanging open in shock. You send a silent prayer to God to protect the Doctor, knowing he'll need it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although I had to figure out how this would go, it was funny. Next chapter is the last, though, so I hope you've enjoyed it so far!


	5. Endings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I use bold and italics to indicate telepathic conversations.

A week goes by before you hear anything from the Doctor, by which time you're sure something bad has happened. It wasn't until you were getting ready for bed that you hear the familiar wheezing sound, coming from the living room. You fly out of the bedroom, and down the hall, smiling like an idiot. The door opens, and out walks the Doctor, wild hair sticking up all over the place, clothes in such a rumpled state you'd swear he slept in them for the last couple of days.

"What happened?" you ask as he slumps down on your sofa. In response, he holds up his left hand, showing off a new ring, a simple, silver band, plumb up against the other ring he wears. 

"She forced me to do it," he says tiredly, hanging his head in his hands.

"So... You got married?" you ask, trying very, very hard not to bust up laughing; one look at his miserable face tells you that wouldn't be well for you.

"Yes, and she didn't give me a choice. Picked out the rings, too," he growled darkly.

"So, shall I guess what happened that night?" you ask, unable to keep the amusement out of your voice. He moves one hand to glare at you, eyes red, probably lack of sleep, you note quietly.

"What do you think?" he asks, angrily, and your mouth twitches from the effort of not laughing.

"Oh sure, go ahead and laugh. Not like it's YOU that's married to an android," he snaps, and covers his face again.

"Oh come on, seriously, how bad can it be?" you ask, no longer able to suppress the smile or the laughter. The glare he gives you finally sets you off, and you have a good laugh for several minutes.

"I'm glad YOU'RE amused, but I'm not. Next thing you know, she'll be wanting children. Not that we can have any, but that doesn't mean we can't adopt, is what she'll say, and that'll end poorly. I can't keep up with her. I can't go on adventures like I used to. Hell, I miss going on late night food raids on alien planets, those were fun! But she wants all of my attention, all to herself. It's monotonous, and boring, and overwhelming at the same time," he bemoans, sounding almost pathetic, but you know better than saying anything; he hates being told he's whining, especially when he loves to say that about everyone else.

"Have you tried saying no?" you ask, still amused but no longer feeling the need to laugh hysterically, even though the whole situation is ridiculous.

"Of course I did, she pushed the point. She gets cross if I try to argue with her, more than she ever did before. I honestly don't know what to do, I really don't. For all the trouble, I still don't want to shut down the body. And God only knows what she'd do if we tried," he said worriedly, and for once you're actually concerned; it wasn't like the Doctor to talk like that.

"Then it sounds like we both need to have a talk with her, together. Otherwise things could end up going too far, and people could get hurt," you say sternly, frowning. The Doctor sighs, but says nothing. You stand, and head into the TARDIS, still amused after all this time that the door automatically opens for you; you know it doesn't happen often, but you're still amused nonetheless.

"Cassie? Where are you?" you call out in the control room, and wait;the Doctor walks in behind you, looking glumly at the floor. Several minutes pass before you try again.

"Cassiopeia, come in here this minute," you call out sternly, and you hear the clicking of shoes from the bottom level of the room, then up the stairs.

"[Y/N], what's wrong? You hardly ever calle by my full name," she says, worriedly.

"Sit down. We need to talk," you say, crossing your arms over your chest; she hangs her head dejectedly, and sit in one of the jump seats.

"Look, I get that you're happy to have a body with which to interact with the real world, but you're causing the Doctor more stress than he deserves. When we worked on this project, we did as a way to interact better with others, and we succeeded. But you've gone too far," you say crossly, glaring at her.

"But... I don't understand. What have I done that was so bad that you'd chastise me?" she asks sulkily.

"How about not giving me an option about getting married? Or forcing yourself on me bodily?" the Doctor asks angrily; you turn and glare at him, quieting him.

"While I don't appreciate the interruption, he's got a valid point: I know you love him, but that doesn't give you the right to push him into doing things he may not want to do, or just might not be ready for. Especially when it comes to romantic things; it would've better to let him show you how it's done properly, rather than forcing him," you say, glaring at her; she just keeps her head hung.

"You're right, I'm sorry," she says quietly, hands folded in her lap. The Doctor, feeling a little bad for how things had occured, squatted down in front of her, and took her hands.

"Look Cassie, you know I love you. But, [Y/N] is correct, you pushed me. You never give me a choice, getting angry if I argue with you. And that's not how love works," he says softly, rubbing her hands gently.

"Now, you have a choice: you can either calm yourself down and start giving him a chance, or we'll deactivate your body," you say, hating yourself, but knowing you need to play the bad guy in this; she gasps, looking up at you in horror.

"You wouldn't do that, would you? Shut this body down?" she asks, incredulous.

"If you don't behave, yes. But you're going to behave, aren't you, Cassie?" you say quietly, but still stern; you pray she listens rather than just reacts.

"Yes, [Y/N]. And I'm sorry, Doctor. You're both right, I got carried away. I guess... I guess I was afraid you'd not want me..." she said sadly, and the Doctor cupped her cheek with his hand; you spare a moment to wonder how he managed to squat in those trousers, preferring a little bit looser trousers yourself.

"Although I allowed [Y/N] to create the look of the body, I accepted the design in the end, and I loved the end result. But you should know by now I don't like being pressed into doing things; I'm usually the one who does that to others," he says, chuckling; he was rewarded when she smiled weakly.

"I'm sorry, I'll try to do better," she says, pleading with you both.

"I believe you, sweety," you say, smiling sweetly.

"I believe you too, my dear," the Doctor says, and kisses her lips gently; you mock-groan.

"Oi, get a room you two," you say jokingly, earning snickers from them both.

"Alright. I've gotta go, work waits for no one. Not a word," you say warningly at the Doctor, who simply smiles.

"Good luck. We'll be by later," he says, caressing the top of Cassie's hand with his thumb.

"Please try not to get in trouble while I'm at work " you say, trying to sound distressed.

"I can't promise, but we'll try," she says, smiling innocently.

"Right.... I'll see you in a week, when UNIT calls to tell me you've been arrested..." you say sarcastically, waving as you exit.

"That was ONCE, and it wasn't my fault," the Doctor retorts, shouting at you as you walk away, and you laugh.  
_________________________________________________

You weren't surprised when it was a week later when you saw them, but the Doctor had texted you at work to say they would be busy for a while. You didn't want to know what they were going to do, so you simply replied with good luck.

It was Friday evening before you saw them; you'd just walked through the door when you heard, and saw, the TARDIS appear. You barely had time to close and lock the door behind you when the Doctor pops his head out; his hair is a mess, and he has a cut on his forehead.

"Come on, I need your help," he shouts at you, and disappears inside. You run through the TARDIS door, closing it behind you, and glance around; everything looks normal in the control room.

"Cassie has been kidnapped; she allowed herself to get captured in order for me to get away. So I came to get you. Please, we need to get her back," he says in a rush, pressing buttons, then pulling the lever to send you off somewhere else.

"Alright, Doctor, you know I'll help. Just tell me what to do," you say calmly, standing on the top stair on front of the doors, staying out of his way.

"Follow me, do as I say, when I say. No talking, we need to be quiet," he says quietly, and you simply nod in reply.

You both slip out into inky darkness; you can't see, but you trust the Doctor, knowing he can see. You reach a hand out, knowing he'll be reaching behind him, and find his waiting hand; even though you're only friends, you're comfortable walking hand in hand with him, especially when he's leading you somewhere.

You both walk quietly, slowly, making surpringly good time despite having to go slow. He squeezes your hand twice, his signal to stop, so you do, and you hear a set of footsteps close to you; your heart beats heavily, and you pray no one can hear it. You wait several minutes, hearing the steps fade away, and he squeezes once, the signal to resume.

It takes about 30 minutes to get to the main facility, and you immediately know you've been lead into a trap.

 _- **Yes, I know it's a trap; I knew that before I brought you. I knew you'd figure it out. But we can't let her remain in their untender mercies, regardless of personal feelings; her body alone could be turned into a weapon. I never should've brought her-**_ the Doctor says mentally, his voice strained, angry, and sad all at the same time.

 _ **-I know, Doctor. You did the best you could. I'm not mad, it was just an observation-**_ you think at him, not really able to reply; he's a touch telepath, one of the most powerful of his people, so he says.

 _ **-I AM the most powerful, you disrespectful brat-**_ he replies in mock-anger, but somehow you know it helped calm him down a little.

He tugs on your hand, so you move up next to him, although he keeps a hold of you hand; you can see the barrels in front and beside you, as well as the building in the short distance in front of you.

 _ **-Here's where they've taken her, and it'll be much harder going now. There's just enough ambient light that you should be able to see. I won't be able to guide you, since I need both hands after this. You see that door at the end of the building? On the right side?-**_ he says, pointing to a greenish door at the end of the side facing you; you nod.

 _ **-Thats where we go in. We'll split up getting there, and meet up there-**_ he says, and you hear the strain.

 _ **-Doctor, I follow your lead. Rest your mind, I'll meet you at the door-**_ you think to him, as he squeezes your hand tightly, signalling that he understood. You release his hand, and wait for him to go to the right; you know he put his plan into your head while he spoke, and envy him that ability.

You move forward, carefully avoiding the roving patrols, surprised to not see any cameras; either they're not smart enough to have thought to use them, overly confident, or it's just part of the trap. You slowly start making a diagonal line to the door, and you see a shadowy figure doing the same; you pray he doesn't get noticed either.

Eventually you make it to the door, noticing the guard standing next to it has a glazed look. You raise an eyebrow at the Doctor, who merely grins, and opens the door, slipping inside, and you quickly follow. 

Once inside, you quickly dive to a crate, behind the Doctor, waiting for the footsteps to recede. You notice his hand stretching behind him, so you touch his fingers, and he grasps your hand; your head aches as schematics for the building fill your mind, and you see not only the room he thinks Cassie is on, but the suggested route. Past the security room, of course. Which means cameras inside. Oh joy.

It takes you almost an hour, dodging patrols and cameras, just to make it to the security room, where he quickly disables the system, altogether, crashing the entire network. Including the lights, you notice, and sigh. He looks at you curiously, then smirks and grins. You roll your eyes, and wait for him to make his way to you; he grabs you outstretched hand, and guides you out.

It takes another 20 minutes to make it to the room she's being held, by which time you've got your share of cuts and bruises; those guards sure were angry with you two trying to sneak in and rescue Cassie. He sonics the door open, then let's out a sad groan, hand to his mouth. You glance inside, and feel pain well up in your heart: Cassie is torn up, literally, pieces of her strewn across the room. You push him inside, turning pain into anger, and quietly pull the door closed. You take the small bag out of your pocket, and hand it to the Doctor, although he doesn't take it. Grinding your teeth in frustration, you shake out the bag, noting how big it really is; Time Lord tech, gotta love it. You start putting the pieces inside, while he pulls her torso down, cradling it against him, and you hear him sniffle quietly. Once you gather everything you can, you tap his shoulder, and wait; the TARDIS starts to materialize around you both. You resist the urge to make an obscene gesture at the cameras, opting instead to wave goodbye. 

You rush to the console, pressing specific buttons, and pulling the lever, sending the TARDIS to wherever the Doctor set the coordinates for, then turn back to him, crying quietly over her torn torso. You say nothing, simply walk over to him, and put your hand on her shoulder.

"She sacrificed herself, for me, so I could escape," he says tearfully, and you try to hold back the wave of sorrow you feel, knowing it's your own.

"Can she be repaired?" you ask hopefully.

"No, her body was too badly damaged. At least her true soul wasn't in the body, just a program based on her original perimeters," he replies, sniffling.

"I'm sorry, Doctor," you say sadly, pat his shoulder, and head to the kitchen, figuring you both needed some tea, with an extra kick.


	6. Epilogue

It had been a month since the loss of Cassiopeia, or at least the body. After several long discussions, it was decided not to build her a new body, although the TARDIS wasn't happy about that; the Doctor simply sulked for a month. He kept the wedding ring on, though, next to the dark green ring he always wore, as a reminder. He was so sad that he wasn't even interested in going anywhere; for someone who had had so many issues with her, he sure did sulk a lot.

When he finally was ready, it was with subdued interest, and lackluster care; at least nothing bad had happened, or the Doctor might have just run away for a long time, leaving Earth undefended.

It took another long month before the Doctor was even close to being his normal, grumpy self, complaining about things (usually because he could), but sometimes he'd stare at the simple band on his hand, eyes heavy with regret.

You knew time was the only thing that would help, so you kept him company as best as possible. Sometimes you'd have fight with him, verbally, just to keep him occupied, and because you actually enjoyed the verbal sparring. 

In the end, four months after that fateful day, you knew he would be ok, and so you would you. Things would never be easy, because life wasn't easy, but everyone moved on, and so too had you both learned to do.


End file.
